GIVE GARDENS A CHANCE

Theme
parks, shrines, local markets, tall and large structures – these are
just some of the places that one usually goes to when taking time off in
a new travel destination. What is often forgotten or left last on the
list are places that make one closer to nature, specifically gardens.
Walking through a beautiful garden leaves you with a special and
refreshed feeling. You get peace of mind, undeniable joy and a deeper
sense of appreciation for nature. Aside from the rows of beautiful
flowers and lush green plants plus the chirping of birds and fresh
breeze, gardens are a wonder to behold considering the history that
comes with it. Give yourself a chance to experience their beauty and
relive history by visiting one (if not all) of 5 of the world’s best
gardens.

Flights
to the USA are as readily available as entrance to this world-renowned
desert garden. Founded by the Arizona Cactus and Native Flora Society in
1937 and established at its site in 1939, the Desert Botanical Garden
displays a large collection of arid-land plants mainly from the deserts
of Southwestern North America. It has also been designated as a Phoenix
Point of Pride that offers a unique glimpse of a variety of desert
flora. It spans 140 acres and has more than 21,000 desert plants from
139 different species. It is also renowned for its collection of 169
rare species of desert plants and 1350 different types of cactus plant.

Walking
is made easier for visitors since there are well-maintained paved
trails, but be prepared for the heat and dryness. It is good to note
that the desert garden welcomes plenty of beautiful butterflies every
spring season.

Located
in the property of Oscar Claude-Monet, a well-known painter and the
founder of French Impressionist painting, this magnificent garden was
designed by the painter himself as inspired by his Japanese paintings –
brightly colored patches that are messy yet balanced. Claude-Monet
started designing his new garden in 1890, where he diverted the river
near his house into a beautiful pond garden filled with water lilies. He
also built a bridge across the bridge.

If you plan to book a flight to France
soon, make sure that you get to visit thegarden that is divided into
two parts, a flower garden and a water garden. The flower garden,
located in front of Claude-Monet’s house is mixed with lots of flowers
from different species. The climbing roses and the number of fruit trees
are two of the main attractions in this garden. The water garden
contains a lot of willows on the bank of the pond. The small bridge
covered with beautiful wisterias and the clear water in the pond are
breathtaking scenes you should not miss.

Originally
designed by Princess Augusta (Mother of King George III) in 1759, the
impressive Royal Botanic Gardens encompasses 326 acres of land and has
more than 50,000 different species of plants.

Visit
the palm house, the most attractive green house in the gardens. It is
an impressive glass house that is home to many tropical rainforest
plants.Make it a point to drop by the Princess Wales conservatory –a
greenhouse that contains 10 different climate zones controlled by
computers. You can find desert plants, carnivorous plants and different
types of orchids in this conservatory. There is also a 59 feet high
treetop walkway that brings a beautiful view of the surrounding places.
Also, get a chance to explore the art galleries, greenhouses, unique
edifices and climatic zones.

Make
it a point to visitNongNoochTropical Botanical Garden – a popular
tourist attraction in Pattaya City. This is a 500-acre botanical garden
with a symmetrical design,which displays the largest collection of
flowering plants in the country from more than 670 native species.

Get
to explore its beauty by taking the 1.1-km long walkway. Be in awe of
the bonsai, ferns, palms, cactuses and orchids as they are distributed
in separate sections in the garden. You can also see perfectly trimmed
shrubs while walking through the garden.

Apart
from beautiful gardens,it also offers a Thai cultural show, car museum,
fishing pond and elephant show for the visitors. You can also enjoy
cycling, elephant riding and boat paddling in the garden.

Known
as one of the most beautiful and largest gardens in the world and as an
outstanding example of formal French garden design, the Gardens of
Versailles is a magnificent garden that spans across 800 hectares of
land. This was commissioned by Louis XIV in 1661 and took forty years to
complete. UNESCO recognized the gardens of Versailles and the palace as
a world heritage site in 1979. It contains 300 hectares of forest,
hundreds of acres of flower beds, 35 kilometers of canals, 600 fountains
and 372 statues. It is also home to 200,000 trees and more than 210,000
flowering plants.

There
is a 1.5-kilometer long Grand Canal located in the lower level of the
garden, where you can see many oak trees, wild cherry trees and ash
trees on the bank. Take note that the boat trip in the Grand Canal
offers a magical view of the vast Gardens of Versailles.The fountains
are another attraction at the gardens of Versailles. All main fountains
in the garden feature colossal statues that depict mythological
characters including Saturn, Cupid, Ceres, Flora and Neptune.

Flights
to France are readily available so missing the beauty of this garden is
not an option. In fact, be one of the more than six million visitors
that this garden has in a year – making it one of the most visited
public sites in France.